If you have hardwood floors in your home, you know the feeling of luxury it gives us. Aside from making our home look elegant, hardwood floors are durable, and it also helps, to improve our home’s atmosphere, it contains no chemical and allergy free.

Hardwood floors like other flooring materials, however, also requires care and maintenance so it can give back its benefits for you. For those who have hardwood floors or to those who are planning to have one, here is a list of things to do to maintain hardwood floors. For those who are interested in installing hardwood floors, visit this site http://www.edmflooring.ca/

1. Prepare the Right Materials

Before you do any cleaning or maintenance procedures, you first have to prepare the right cleaning material. This is especially important because the wrong materials can damage or give scratches to your hardwood floor.

You want to avoid buying brooms that have stiff and hard fibers because it can cause scratching, buy microfiber cloth and mops. Also be careful in your cleaning solutions, read the label and do extra research on the internet if it is hardwood friendly. Don’t concoct the usual water and vinegar cleaning solution, because these substances can make your hardwood dull and loss its gloss.

2. Dust and Sweep

To maintain your hardwood floors, you have to dust and sweep it every single day. This cleaning commitment is critical, because if you let the dust and particles settle long in the floor, you will step on it and it wall cause scratches. In sweeping the floor, be gentle with using your microfiber cloth. Be thorough on using it, do not lift it while sweeping, to avoid leaving dust.

3. Vacuum/Mop

You also need to do vacuuming and mopping to maintain your hardwood, but these are not light tasks and you only need to do it once a week. When you vacuum and mop, make sure that you will include the spaces that are hard to reach and clean by broom; these places include corners and the little spaces between the chunks of hardwood.

When you are vacuuming, make sure that the components of the broom like the beater bar, would not bump into the wood and incur scratches. When you mop, make sure that you are only using exact amounts of liquid. Avoid putting too much cleaning solution or water because moisture is hardwood’s number one enemy.

4. Polishing

Cleaning is not the only procedure you will have to do to maintain hardwood floors; you also need to do the polishing. Polishing refreshes your hardwood floor, replenishes its lost shine and gloss. Polishing also adds an extra layer of protection for your wood floor. You only need to do polishing at least once a month.

5. Use Mats

Preventing damage is one way to maintain the good quality of our hardwood floors; one way to protect it is to use mats. Place mats on your front door and entrance ways to any room of your house. Mats would absorb dust and particles, and you would avoid spreading it all over.